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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24172348">inside this place is warm (outside it starts to pour)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Compliant, dont worry about the timeline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:14:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24172348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Grant Ward was sent away to his brother months ago. And in those months, Daisy's learned her identity, her name, and she's gotten somewhere good.</p><p>She doesn't expect it to fall apart when he comes back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Grant Ward &amp; Agents of SHIELD Team, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Grant Ward</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>inside this place is warm (outside it starts to pour)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>yeah anyways. i'm sad and have no motivation to update my inhuman ward fic at the moment so here's this with almost the same plot i had intended for that one oh well i guess</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the world moves too fast, Daisy Johnson puts a hand to her heart. Feels the steady beats, the calm rhythm of composure.</p><p>Sometimes, it feels like everything is too perfect; a mother and father who were alive and searching for her, a family now tucked away in a nice little apartment in Chicago. A name, a birthday, solid ground. A good director, a good SO. </p><p>She thinks good things are like bubbles—beautiful to look at, but will explode at the slightest touch. Daisy's learned to be as happy as possible in her circumstances, but it doesn't stop her from being wary of every hug and every word. But she figures she can't be scared every time she calls Jiaying Mom, so she adjusts. It's one of her best qualities, this chameleon-like persistence.</p><p>Tonight, with Trip and Mack trading stories about their childhoods, and Fitz even being able to contribute more than a few coherent sentences to the conversation, Daisy feels good. Like everything is exactly the way it's supposed to be. With dark memories long gone, shipped away in a colorless truck, it feels good, to be certain of something, to have a family—both the people with her blood, and the people who made her into who she is. </p><p>And for once, reality doesn't feel like a bubble waiting to burst.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>70 bpm</strong>
</p><p>"If only we had more of Simmons's intel," Daisy finds herself saying quietly as she collapses from plank position with an undignified thump. Some things won't ever change, really. </p><p>"We do," May says, stretching. "We're reviewing the stuff Bobbi has."</p><p>"But it won't ever feel like enough, will it?" she counters. "Hydra's more powerful than we think."</p><p>May scoffs. "Sounds like something someone in Hydra would say."</p><p>"It's good to be honest with yourself about what you're up against," Daisy protests, reaching down to touch her toes. "We'd never get anything done if we just assumed that Hydra was just a little organization full of sissies and wannabe Nazis."</p><p>"Who said wannabe Nazis weren't dangerous?" May says with a smirk. "Never underestimate a fanatic, Daisy."</p><p>"Right," she says, putting her hands up. "I—"</p><p>If one were to review this whole situation by a frame-by-frame analysis, this would be the hypothetical burst of a bubble. Daisy, frozen in place, barely registering May's fist colliding with her stomach. She stumbles, but her eyes are fixed on the window of the training room, on the people that walk by.</p><p>It all seems to happen in the slow-motion—the bubble exploding into a million water droplets, Daisy stumbling back on the mats, the muffled voice of May echoing through the room.</p><p>"—Daisy! What the hell?"</p><p>May grabs Daisy's arm before she can topple over, and then grabs her shoulders. "What the hell was that?"</p><p>The world starts to spin again, as Daisy tears her eyes away from the window and looks at the woman in front of her.</p><p>"He..."</p><p>It's all she can say, but May seems to understand all the same, her grip relaxing slightly, thumbs moving on her arms in soothing gestures. "I know."</p><p>"Why—why didn't you tell me?" Daisy asks. She can feel her heart pounding in her ears, can feel it in her fingers and neck. </p><p>"We would have," May sighs. "When the time was right."</p><p>Training forgotten, Daisy walks out of the room, grabbing her sweatshirt as she goes.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>124 bpm</strong>
</p><p>Daisy doesn't knock before throwing the door of Coulson's office open, hands trembling. Everything seems to be moving too fast, too fast for her to comprehend.</p><p>Coulson pauses mid-sentence, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and what might be guilt.</p><p>"I'll call you back," he says to whoever's on the line, still looking at her. Once he hangs up, he angles his body on his desk so he faces her.</p><p>"Tell me why he's here," Daisy says. Her voice doesn't shake, to her immense surprise. "Tell me why you brought him into our base."</p><p>"Daisy—"</p><p>"You could have told me," she pushes. "I needed to know."</p><p>"You didn't," he says, lacing his fingers together. "It was classified."</p><p>"It's <em>Ward," </em>she hisses. "I don't give a <em>shit </em>whether it was classified. I—deserved—to know."</p><p>Coulson sighs softly. "Christian Ward had ties to Hydra. It wasn't a prisoner transfer all those months ago, Daisy. It was a mission for Ward."</p><p>"W-Why would you give <em>him </em>a mission? He's not part of us, Coulson! He's not an agent of SHIELD!" she counters. "He betrayed us all. He helped our organization fall. And you gave him a <em>mission."</em></p><p>"Ward was as good as brainwashed by Garrett, Daisy," he replies. "Sure, he had a part in the destruction of our organization—"</p><p>"He tried to kill Fitz-Simmons," she says in quiet rage.</p><p>"He could have shot them," Coulson says simply. "But he didn't. Ward had faith in them, faith that they would survive. And they did, despite what happened to Fitz."</p><p>Daisy pinches the bridge of her nose.</p><p>"Everyone deserves a second chance, and he took it," Coulson says. "I don't trust him fully, but I trust him to the extent that he can be an agent again."</p><p>"You don't know Ward," Daisy says. "You don't know what you've done. You let him again, and he's just going to betray us, <em>again. </em>And if something happens to us, it's on <em>you, </em>understand?"</p><p>"I'm the Director," Coulson says softly. "Everything is on me."</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>86 bpm</strong>
</p><p>"You alright?" Bobbi asks, tapping Daisy on the shoulder.</p><p>"Fine," she says after a second. "I'm fine."</p><p>Bobbi glances around before pulling Daisy to a corner of the lab. "I heard they brought Ward back."</p><p>"They did," she confirms, glancing at the window as she might see him again. "Coulson gave him another chance. That prisoner transfer? Turns out Ward was just sent to his brother on assignment."</p><p>"That's—rough," Bobbi sighs, reaching out to touch Daisy's shoulder. "Let me know if you need to talk about it."</p><p>"I don't," Daisy replies immediately. "I'll be fine as long as I don't have to see him."</p><p>There's the sharp bang of something being slammed down on a table, and the two women turn to see Fitz glaring at the files in front of him.</p><p>"Fitz, what is it?" Bobbi asks.</p><p>"It's <em>him," </em>he hisses. "Coulson wants me to monitor his activity in the base. He's being kept in one of those containment rooms."</p><p>It really shouldn't bother her as much as it does. But even mentioning Grant Ward has become something of a minefield for Daisy, who has never considered herself to be this unstable, ever. Not even in the wake of a thousand horrible facts and a thousand failed missions.</p><p>She can feel her heart rate shoot upwards, and she can barely register Fitz and Bobbi calling her name.</p><p>"I need some air," she says, without even really bothering to process a single thing about her surroundings as she leaves.</p><p>Where would she go in a secret base to get air, though?</p><p>Coulson finds her wandering around, and he walks to her, grabbing her shoulders.</p><p>"Where's Ward?" Daisy asks, because she can't dissolve into a mess now, not while knowing it will take too long to put herself back together again.</p><p>"Prepping for an assignment," Coulson murmurs.</p><p><em>"Another </em>assignment?" she spits. "Coulson, are you goddamn kidding me? You're just—"</p><p>"Daisy," he says softly, almost apologetically. "You're going with him."</p><p>Okay, now this wasn't fair.</p><p>"Why?" she asks. <em>"Why </em>are you doing this to me—"</p><p>"It's not about you, Daisy," he replies, rubbing his temples. "I know this is hard on all of us, especially you. But Ward is more or less of an agent now. And while that means acknowledging his presence in the base, I need someone to keep an eye on him, and possibly take him down if he moves to betray us again. That person is you, Daisy. He wouldn't lie to you or hurt you, and you know that."</p><p>"You're—you think <em>I </em>can neutralize Ward? With his supposed loyalty to me?"</p><p>"That's not all," Coulson implores. "You're a talented agent, Daisy," he says. "I've seen that since before you even got the title. You can think fast—faster than Ward. He's smart, but he doesn't always see the big picture. You do."</p><p>She takes a shuddering breath. "What's the assignment?"</p><p>Coulson frowns slightly as he gazes upon the lab. "Hydra's getting bolder. Gideon Malick—"</p><p>"He served on the World Council, didn't he?" Daisy asks, momentarily forgetting about Ward.</p><p>"He did," Coulson confirms. "But he's also one of the most respected heads of Hydra, and directly descended from one, too. He's collecting supporters, rebuilding Hydra the way he believes it should be."</p><p>"It never ends, does it?" she says softly.</p><p>"You should talk to him," Coulson says after a minute. "You can't avoid it forever."</p><p>"I'll talk to him on the assignment," Daisy says.</p><p>"It won't be long," he states. "It's just surveillance for now."</p><p>"I'm sure we'll find time," she mutters, and then she's gone.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>114 bpm</strong>
</p><p>She doesn't want to look at him, but she does, just once, when he doesn't notice.</p><p>From the moment they met, the sharp, intelligent lines of Grant Ward caught her eye, the eyes that managed to be calculating yet warm at the same time. At least, when he looked at her.</p><p>But no one in Hydra could possibly be warm. Or attractive.</p><p>He's clean-shaven again, and rather than arrange his hair neatly, he's let it be loose and a little messy.</p><p>Young.</p><p>She can feel his eyes on her the whole time she prepares—putting her arms through a jacket, putting a gun in the inside pocket.</p><p>"Skye," he says softly. "Skye, will you look at me?"</p><p>A thousand words hang off the tip of her tongue—her name isn't Skye, she doesn't want to look at him, she missed him, she hates him, she—</p><p>"Hurry," Daisy says softly, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. "Quinjet's waiting for us." She leaves before Ward can even answer, hurrying into the Quinjet. It's only going to be them, and Daisy cannot possibly understand why she agreed to this.</p><p><em>"Everything on schedule?" </em>Coulson asks on comms as Ward comes in, strapping himself into the seat beside hers. </p><p>"Sure," she says. "We'll let you know if anything happens."</p><p><em>"Daisy," </em>he says. <em>"Be safe."</em></p><p>"I will," she promises, and then she looks at Ward, whose forehead is slightly creased in confusion. She doesn't say anything, though, as she lifts the Quinjet up and out of the hangar.</p><p>"Daisy," he says quietly, once they've soared above the clouds. "Your name is Skye."</p><p>"I found my parents," she replies. "They named me Daisy. Daisy Johnson."</p><p>He smiles a little, sadly. "That's good."</p><p>"Don't act like you care, Ward," Daisy snaps.</p><p>She hears him breathe out a mirthless laugh. "I do, S—I care, Daisy. But I guess I deserve that."</p><p>"You guess," she murmurs in disbelief. </p><p>"Daisy."</p><p>"Don't," she breathes. "Don't, Ward."</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's not enough, Ward!" she says, looking at him. "Coulson may be acting like you have a chance, but you don't. I'm not going to shoot you or beat the shit out of you but we're done, okay? You and I are not friends."</p><p>He opens his mouth as if he'll say something, but he doesn't.</p><p>Which is good.</p><p>Daisy doesn't think she can handle anything more than silence between them.</p><hr/><p>Time becomes sluggish and slow, like swimming against a current with rocks tied to Daisy's feet. It takes months, but for everyone else, everything slowly, <em>slowly </em>falls into place. She catches Fitz and Ward laughing at something Simmons says, and she even sees May of all people nod at him in the halls. In months, Grant Ward becomes a part of everyone's life as the distrust slowly evaporates.</p><p>Daisy will never understand why it's so easy. She'll never understand why everyone asks her to give him a chance, not when he broke everything.</p><p>It should make sense. He's giving them everything. Every memory of every Hydra plan, helping them take down Malick and his forces. It's impossible, it has to be.</p><p>No one ever changes. Not if they were bad from the start.</p><p>
  <em>You can't hate him forever.</em>
</p><p>They still keep him in a containment room, isolated from everyone else's rooms. But it doesn't change anything. Everywhere she looks, he is there. A small smile, that gets bigger and bigger.</p><p>Not only is he part of life around here, but he's happy.</p><p>He seemed happy on the Bus, too. Funny how that worked out.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>93 bpm</strong>
</p><p>It's not a significant day.</p><p>It's only the day they take down all of Gideon Malick's operations around the world.</p><p>"You ready, rookie?" Ward asks, cleaning his gun. It's too normal, too perfect. But she almost smiles.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>110 bpm</strong>
</p><p>"The building's empty," he says quietly. They're in a room that looks like a lab—except without all the experiments. "Not even security."</p><p>"Shit," Daisy mumbles, before looking at him. It's a bit like looking at the sun—hot, blinding, painful, bright. "They knew we were coming."</p><p>"How?"</p><p>It's surprisingly quiet as Daisy grabs the collar of his gear and shoves him against a wall, a gun against his forehead. "Maybe someone told them." She expects him to struggle, to take control of the situation, kill her—</p><p>He drops his gun and puts his hand up. "I'm didn't tell anyone anything. And I know you know that."</p><p>She squeezes the trigger. "Why?"</p><p>"You know I'd never lie to you."</p><p>It's the wrong time, but Daisy just—snaps.</p><p>"But you did," she hisses. "You betrayed us. For a man who didn't care about you."</p><p>"Daisy—"</p><p><em>"Don't </em>try to deny it!" she spits. Her eyes are burning. "You had <em>everything! Everything, Ward! </em>You had people who <em>loved you—"</em></p><p>"Skye," he says, reaching up to wipe a tear from her face. She grabs his hand.</p><p>"You'll always be the same," she whispers.</p><p>"No," he insists, shaking his head, his eyes narrowed. "Skye—"</p><p>"Daisy," she murmurs.</p><p>"Daisy," he breathes. "Daisy, I know I broke your heart. But I'm trying. I'm trying to be better. I want to be. Not just for you, but for myself. I believe that I can be good, Daisy, and I know you do, too."</p><p>"You know nothing about me!" she says. "You left, Ward!"</p><p>She sees his eyes shine, tears of his own forming against the brown irises.</p><p>"Why weren't we enough?" she asks. Her hands shake, too much, too fast. "You could've told us, you could've told me! Don't tell me you couldn't have. Don't."</p><p>"You were enough," he says, grabbing her shoulders. "Daisy, you—"</p><p>"And you <em>still </em>did this," she whispers. "Because Hydra was more important to you than family. But I guess we weren't family—"</p><p>"You were, you were," he says, cupping her face now, and she can't ask him to let go. She can't let him go, no matter how hard she tries. "I fucked up, Daisy. I did. But I would never, ever betray you again. Or anyone else in SHIELD."</p><p>"You left," Daisy says again. "I have no way of knowing that you won't do it again."</p><p>"Trust me," he murmurs.</p><p>"I can't," she says. </p><p>A tear clings to his eyelashes. "Daisy."</p><p>"We—" she takes her free hand and knocks it against his chest, hard. "You're a <em>fucking </em>liar, Ward."</p><p>He's silent for a long moment, just looking at her. "I didn't betray SHIELD. They might have known that we were coming. But it wasn't because of me."</p><p>She pauses, before taking the gun away and getting back up. She doesn't offer to help him.</p><p>"Let's split up," she says flatly.</p><p>Daisy doesn't wait for his response before she leaves.</p><p>Like the rest of the place, the building is empty. It doesn't make sense, as all of their sources said that this is precisely where Malick himself would be, the man behind the web of lies and corruption.</p><p>She can't afford to lose control like that. Not on a mission.</p><p>
  <em>Trust me.</em>
</p><p>There are gunshots. Sharp, loud, and—</p><p>
  <em>Ward.</em>
</p><p>Daisy's never ran faster in her life.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>121 bpm</strong>
</p><p>"Ward?" she whispers. Someone shot all the lights, and the hallway is just illuminated by the dim, red glow of an exit sign.</p><p>"Daisy," he says. "Come, quick. Before they see you."</p><p>She feels a tug on the leg of her pants, and she ducks into corner, feeling around for a body. She finds something, and when she withdraws her hand, there's a dark stain on her hands.</p><p>"Ward," she says.</p><p>"He has a small personal team here," he murmurs. "They—fuck."</p><p>"Talk to me, I can't see you," she hisses, patting everything that might be him—maybe an arm, a leg, a stomach. She doesn't even register than she might be getting blood all over him.</p><p>"My leg," he says softly, weakly. "It's shot. I've felt worse, but—oh, <em>fuck."</em></p><p>"You're going to be okay," she says, feeling something that might be his jaw. "You're going to be fine, Grant."</p><p>There's a small laugh. </p><p>"Why are you laughing?" she asks.</p><p>She feels a hand grasp her own. "You called me Grant."</p><p>"Don't move," a rough voice says from behind her, and Daisy feels the cold metal of a gun against the back of her head. And the clicks of at least half a dozen other guns.</p><p>"Why don't we talk this out?' Daisy says, a surprising blanket of calm settling over her. <em>This </em>is what she prepared for. This isn't complex at all.</p><p>She reaches behind her and grabs the arm of the man holding the gun to her head, twisting it with all the strength she has. She hears him roar in pain as she whirls around and starts shooting at the group around her. </p><p>They're all down in a matter of minutes, and Daisy turns to help Ward up, his face coming into view, pale in the red light.</p><p>His eyes widen, and he stumbles forward, trying to get in front of her. Daisy shoots as fast as she can at the other group of people approaching, her arm over Ward's shoulder. She can feel him collapsing against her as she watches the dark figures in the distance tumble, and she grabs him, hands landing in another pool of blood as they sink to the ground together.</p><p>"Ward," she murmurs. "Ward. Ward, look at me."</p><p>"Gut," he grunts. "I won't—I'm not going to—"</p><p>Daisy fumbles for her comm-link, trying to stay calm. "We have an agent down," she says shakily. "We need help, now!"</p><p>"No," he coughs, a stream of blood coming out of Ward's mouth. "No, go get Malick."</p><p>"Why didn't you take a vest?" she hisses.</p><p>Daisy thinks she sees him smile. "Go, Daisy. I took out most of the people in this level, and I think you finished off the last of them. You have to go get Malick."</p><p>"And leave you to die?"</p><p>"Yeah," he says. "Go."</p><p>Some part of her must want that. She has to want to leave him. And maybe, part of her does.</p><p>"No," Daisy murmurs. "No. I'm getting you on a Quinjet and we're going back home," she promises. "You'll be okay."</p><p>His eyes flutter shut. </p><p>"No," she says again. "No, no, no, no—"</p><p>
  <em>"Daisy! What level are you on?"</em>
</p><p>"Eighteen!" she yells into the comm-link. "Hurry, I need to get back to base <em>NOW!"</em></p><p>She glances at Ward, seemingly asleep with his head in her lap.</p><p>"It'll be okay," she whispers. "It's okay."</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>100 bpm</strong>
</p><p>"How is he?" Daisy asks immediately.</p><p>"He's—stable. For now," Simmons murmurs, glancing at the faint red stains on her hands. "How's the questioning going?"</p><p>"I don't know," she admits. "I've been here for hours."</p><p>"Ward had this with him," Simmons tells her, handing Daisy a bloodstained USB. </p><p>"What do you think it is?" Daisy asks, observing it.</p><p>"It could have been Hydra intel. Or—or SHIELD. He might have been there to deliver it."</p><p>Daisy grits her teeth. "I'm going to look at it."</p><p>She turns to leave, when she hears Simmons call her name again. Daisy turns, frowning.</p><p>"He'll be okay," she assures her. </p><p>"But will we?" Daisy counters, holding up the USB. She makes a beeline for her room, jamming the USB into the port of her computer.</p><p>
  <em>Please, </em>
  <em>Ward. Let me be wrong.</em>
</p><p>She's greeted with a password, but Daisy has no trouble getting around that and—</p><p>Logs and documents and transcripts. She catches the word SHIELD a few times, but it becomes abundantly clear what it really is. Travel logs, agendas—locations that no SHIELD agent had been at last night.</p><p>Ward had gotten information on Hydra's hidden operations. Had taken bullets to the leg for it. And he was able to bring it back.</p><p>Daisy can't help it—she smiles, for the first time in hours, as she leaps up, running to Coulson's office like a kid at the end of school with the USB clasped tightly in her hand.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>70 bpm</strong>
</p><p>She finds him in Coulson's office about two weeks later, with the two of them reviewing the Hydra intel. Daisy stays out of their line of sight, just listening.</p><p>"He's got a lot of good connections. And a lot of these operations seem plausible. It'll be hard," Ward says to Coulson. "Malick's plan ran a lot deeper than any of us could have anticipated. Hell, there's even something about an old medieval castle in Europe. And a few Hebrew texts. But sir—how did they know we were going to be there?"</p><p>"Glenn Talbot," Coulson says. "He's been trying to find us for a long time. It seems that he did, that night. But seeing as Gideon Malick also has ties to the military, his own men were sent to deal with it."</p><p>There's a small pause.</p><p>"I never thanked you, Ward," Coulson says.</p><p>"I don't deserve to be thanked."</p><p>"It's been almost a year since SHIELD fell," Coulson murmurs. "I didn't want to trust you, Ward. But I do. You did a good thing. Many good things, over these past few months."</p><p>"I'm sorry, Coulson."</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>"Everything."</p><p>"We've forgiven you."</p><p>"Yes, but—"</p><p>"So has she," Coulson murmurs. "And she'll come around."</p><p>Daisy peeks around the door to see Coulson shake Ward's hand. "You are a good man, Agent Ward. Even after everything."</p><p>"What makes you say that?" Ward asks. "I worked with Garrett. I helped take down SHIELD."</p><p>"I don't think you had a choice then, Ward," Coulson murmurs. "And when you <em>did </em>have a choice, you made the right decision. Decisions speak volumes. I know for a fact you could've broken yourself out on the way to your brother. But you didn't."</p><p>There's another moment of silence, which Daisy takes as the opportunity to walk in. They both turn to look at her. "What is it, Daisy?"</p><p>"Fitz and Simmons have a lead," she says.</p><p>"I'll go check it out," Coulson says, and as he leaves, Daisy goes too, trying not to look at Ward.</p><p>She catches him moving his stuff into a normal room—a few books, clothes. He notices her in the doorway seconds after she gets there, and he smiles softly. "Hey."</p><p>"You took a bullet in the gut for me," she says.</p><p>"Yeah. Not fun. Though I guess you already know that."</p><p>"Unfortunately, I do," she says. "How are you now?"</p><p>"I have a lot of stitches and bandages, but I'm alright," he says. "I'm even walking again. That's good."</p><p>"Thank you," she says, coming in and closing the door behind her. She's not particularly interested in having everyone overhear their conversation. "For everything."</p><p>"We'll take down Hydra," he says decisively. "I was only doing what we had to."</p><p>"But you saved my life," Daisy murmurs, stepping forward. </p><p>He looks up, eyes shining. "I'm sorry."</p><p>She swallows. "I know," she concedes, glancing at the faint lines of a bandage underneath his white shirt.</p><p>He reaches out, taking her hands, and she doesn't pull away.</p><p>"Do you forgive me?" he asks. "I understand if you don't, Daisy. You shouldn't—"</p><p>"I do," she says, putting her hands on his upper arms. "Grant. I forgive you."</p><p>His lips part. "Say it again. My name."</p><p>"Grant," she murmurs.</p><p>He lowers his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. He pulls away too soon, and Daisy's head jerks forward, chasing his lips with her own.</p><p>"Things won't be the same," she says, her lips brushing his as she speaks.</p><p>"No," he agrees. "They'll be better."</p><p>He kisses her again, putting a hand against her heart, feeling the fast, yet steady beat below.</p>
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